Countdown to Rick Nash's contract expiration:

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Jackets downed 3-1. Flames win their 6th straight on the road. Jackets drop their 2nd straight. Overall record for December now sits at 3-3-2...not nearly good enough.

**GAME OVER**

The rookies Kris Russell and Jared Boll the only two standouts for me tonight for the Jackets..

Game over.. Jackets giving up.. Flames controlling play... credit to the Flames.. they outplayed us..shots on goal don't mean squat in this one like hte Boston game... they scored on the chances given to them..

Nothing again.. 0 for 6... couldn't even get set up... not shots from point.. I know, I sound like a broken record.. these players no what they should be doing.. they just can't execute.. lack of skill getting exposed..

Jackets back on PP.. they should decline.. playing much better even strength....and Z turns it over..

Will say this....the Jackets are finally goin hard to the net... just keep playin Boll.. that kid will go hard to the net every shift.. .keep him out there with Nash.. I like that pairing... may open up some room for him..

Man.. this PP is un-watchable... they can't get anything going.. I mean nothing...

Awesome save by Kipper on Klesla... same ole story.. nice pass by Nasher..

Well at least its not just us with the bad calls... I thought that call on Tanguay was BS as well.. hard check in the boards... oh well..

Of course another penalty on the Jackets.. Boll skating his ass off out there.. finishing his check and they call him for a high stick... I'm glad Hitch is playing this kid though... he goes hard every single shift and I'll take penalties like that any day of the week if we could get that kind of effort out of everyone..

Jackets making Kipper look like an all star... they've turned it up a notch but with only 10 min left we've seen this script before..

Feds has been good on the faceoff circle so far.. goin 10 for 3.. bout the only thing he's done..

Jackets kill penalty....Flames not giving anything up... they are lockin the middle of the ice down with a padlock... and I don't think the Jackets have a key...

Westcott with penalty.. Calgary on 5th PP... I think the nail is pretty much all the way in the coffin but a score here will really drive it through..

Boll still playing a physical game out there... still tryint spark his troops.. hell just keep playin him..

'nother bad PP.... Russell and Manny bumbling the pucks lookin like a couple of key stone cops out there..

**START THIRD PERIOD**

Got to feel a little bit for Leclaire...he's not having his best night but he (or Norrena most nights) gets no help from his offense.... if our goaltender isn't our absolute best player than we don't win most nights and quite frankly that just isn't going to get you into the playoffs....

I hate to sound to negative but there are only so many times Hitch can rip these guys between periods and tonight is not one of those nights -- he can't play that card again so soon -- so unfortunately if the Jackets want to rally they need to man up and motivate themselves. I'm not optimistic about our chances to come back in this game. Not 2 goals down...not in the 3rd period....not against a team that is playing as well as the Flames. Jackets blew this one early with some help from the men in stripes.

Jackets still outshooting Flames 25-17 but outscored 2-1 in that period.

**END SECOND PERIOD**

Fans booing....don't blame them....PP is a royal mess.

Hitch goin with the Fritsche line on the PP....if that tells us anything... coaching staff is just as frustrated as the fans with this special team..

Novotny draws one there.. fans jeer the refs... PP gets another chance... excuse me while don't get to excited about our pitiful powerplay..

Nash thrown around again... no calls... again I go back to Foote doin the same but getting called which resulted in a 5 on 3 call... all I ask is for some friggan consistancy from the stripes...

Iginla line just owned the Jackets again... lucky to get out of that one without a goal against..

Fedorov done anything tonight outside of maybe one decent rush in the first?

PK with the kill.. Jackets really need another to climb back in this one before the period ends..

See Jackets... that how you gets shots through from the point with traffic in front... sadly I just don't think we have the horse on the backend to move the puck and get those shots off...

Another penalty on the CBJ after some sustained pressure... Nash goin to the box...again.... what's goin on with this guy?

Calgary has scored 3 goals off of 13 shots... one of which, Leclaire should have had..

Iginla scores... what typically happens when a good chance is missed at one end.. other team comes down and scores.... Leclaire no chance on that one.. ugghhh... that one really hurt..

Novotny with a breakaway...and great stop by Kipper... what's with the Jackets...they can't ever seem to convert on breakaways..

UNREAL.... no penalty there on 61? After all this wishy washy hooking calls...Nash gets hog tied and nada.... who friggan knows any more with these so called NHL refs...

No way I thought it woudl happen... but Glencross scores off a fabulous....and I mean FABULOUS play by Kris Russell.... kid is really turning it on tonight..that was a puck moving defensemen's play....showed all his skills there..including vision...skating..passing and he took a hit to make a play..

Jackets are a complete wreck out there now.. running around... somehow the draw a penalty... PP's turn to struggle... whelp.. so much for that.. Novotny gets called.. .more 4 v 4..

Tanguay scores... Leclaire lets in a softy 5 hole... that goal there could very well be this game the way the Jackets offense is struggling..

Russell just can't buy a goal... awesome chance there.. nice jump by Russell... kid just needs one and they'll start to fall for him.

Nice try there by the boys...they are going to the net now...game turning into a typical Calgary/Columbus game out there... let me state the obvious though... guys need to score a damn goal!

Lets see if the boys can pot any this period.

**START SECOND PERIOD**

Jackets outshoot Flames 11-7 but nothing to show for it. This game is quickly reminding me of the Boston game...other team scores early and that's the way it basically sits the entire game. Jackets need to find a way to score.

**END OF FIRST**

Columbus PP is just not pulling their weight.... once again come up empty..

How did Nash miss that one? ...and how is that a hooking penalty on Nash? At least they caught the hook on Beech...

Boll and Iginla... linesmen break up Boll and Iginla... now Tollefsen and Nystrom goin at center ice... didn't get to see that one thanks to FSN... what in the hell if with the refs grabbing Boll and letting Iginla throw? Crock of sh**.... let em both go... can't just hold one guy back.. maybe those fights spark this team.. good trade off though - Boll for Iginla.. take that any time..

Fritsche is trying tonight... best hit of the period...great shift by #49..

Tells you how this period has gone when Jody Shelley has teh best shot on net of the period....

Bad passes...shots blocked...offside...forced to permiter....no shots...can't get set up... same ole same ole for the Jackets PP...

Jackets draw a penalty... ole Jacket Anders Erikson gets the gate for holding the stick... lets see if the PP can go anything with it...

Bad feeling early that this offense isn't gonna score tonight.....let me be the first to say it tonight "SHUTOUT!".... there, I feel better...

I guess Foote can't x-check a guy in front of the net but it okay to ram Chimera's head throught he boards....

Nash really fighting it... a play there he usually gets something quality on net and he gets backchecked...that play wasn't happening earlier this year..

Penalties really killed any Jacket momentum...trying to find it now... not a bad shift by the Nash line but nothing real quality on net..

Jackets not winning any key faceoffs on this kill..which is well, killin em..

Standings

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